Process of bleaching nuts.



NITED STATES Fries.

DANIEL FARRELL, OF SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE ANDERSON PRUNE DIPPER COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

PROCESS OF BLEACHING NUTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 663,069, dated. December 4, 1900.

Application filed January 14, 1899. Serial N0. 702,123. (No specimens.)

To 0055 whom it may concern: after bleaching is completed they show no Be it. known that I, DANIEL FARRELL, a trace whatever of the solution. citizen of the United States, residing at San When the work is to be done, a suificient J os, county of Santa Clara, State of Califorproportion of the combined solution is drawn 5 nia, have invented an Improvement in Procinto a dipping vessel of suitable capacity and esses of Bleaching Nuts; and I hereby declare an amount ofacid is added, which will liberthe following to be a full, clear, and exact de- 7 ate the ohlorin gas.

scription of the same. I have found that while many acids might My invention relates to an improvement in produce the result of liberating the gas a safe in the art of bleaching nuts. acid for the purpose is aoeticacid or vinegar, to

It consists, essentially, in the preparation and of which I may use approximately one of solutions of chlorid of lime and sal-soda part to twenty of the solution. The nuts are which are mixed, and when employed for work then immersed coincidently with the addition a proportion of the solutions to be used is of the acid and thoroughly wetted with the 15 drawn off into a dipping vessel and a suftisolution, and the escaping chlorin gas will cient proportion of acid is added to liberate bleach them. After having been immersed the chlorin. The nuts are then immersed in for a sufficient length of time the nuts are the solution and are afterward rinsed in clean taken out and then rinsed in clean water, to water,whichis preferably slightly acidulated. which is preferably added a little vinegar to 20 Nuts-such as almonds, walnuts, and similar acidulate it, so that any of the alkali which nuts-must present a bright and clean apmay remain upon the surface of the nuts will pearance in order to be marketable and of the unite with the acid and leave them in a clear highest value, and in spite of all precautions condition. When thus treated and dried out the shells of the nuts become discolored and no trace of the solution can be found upon the 25 dirty. Various devices have been employed surface of the nuts, which are brightened and for bleaching or cleansing the nuts. One has cleaned to a surprising degree. been by sprinkling or wetting them and then Having thus described my invention, what placing them in a close room and applying I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters the fumes of sulfur. In some cases the nuts Patent, is have been rolled in sawdust which is impreg- I. In the art of cleansing and bleaching 8o nated with a solution of sulfurous acid. The nuts, the steps consisting in mixing a comobjections to these methods are that the action pound solution of chlorid of lime and sal-soda upon the nuts is not uniform, that any nuts inadipping vessel, addingaweak acid thereto which happened to be slightly open become and immediately plunging the nuts into the 5 impregnated with sulfuric acid, and, further, solution and removing them and finally washthe nuts subjected to this treatment are apt ing them. to become rancid within two or three months 2. In the art of washing and bleaching nuts, and will not keep properly. the steps, consisting in mixing a compound In my process I use chlorid of lime and salsolution of chlorid of lime and sal-soda in a 40 soda. The chlorid oflimeand thesal-sodaare dipping vessel, adding a weak acid thereto dissolved separately and afterward mixed towhereby potentially effective chlorin is libergether, and the solution is then allowed to ated, and plunging the nuts in an open-work settle until the thick white lime is at the botbasket into the solution and immediately retom. The clear solution is then drawn off moving them.

45 and is in readiness for use. This combina- In witness whereof I have hereunto set my tion of the two solutions appears to retain its hand. effective bleaching qualities fora much longer DANIEL FARRELL. time than the separate chlorin solution, and Witnesses: it is very much more effective in its results. W. G. HAWLEY, 50 No white deposit is left upon the nuts, and R. W. NASH. 

